Method of cleaning lubricant chambers and the lubricant therein



3, 1954 M. BUSBY 2,685,347

METHOD OF CLEANING LUBRICANT CHAMBERS AND THE LUBRICANT THEREIN Filed March 26, 1951 MAZQV/N 4. 50559 INVENTOR.

107 7 OQNE 5 5 Patented Aug. 3, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF CLEANING LUBRICANT CHAM- BEES AND THE LUBRICANT THEREIN Marvin L. Busby, Fullerton, Calif.

Application March 26, 1951, Serial No. 217,654

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to cleaning and filtering and is particularly directed to improvements in the method and apparatus for filtering oil and cleaning sludge from gear cases. The method and apparatus of this invention find particular usefulness in cleaning and replacing the lubricating oil in gear cases which form a part of the reduction gearing employed in connection with oil field pumping jacks. Such gear cases commonly contain anywhere from five gallons to ninety gallons of lubricating oil. It has been conventional practice to change the lubricating oil in such gear cases at regular intervals by draining the used oil in the case, discarding it and replacing it with new oil. If any considerable amount of sludge, metal particles, abrasives or other foreign matter had accumulated in the gear case it was necessary to shut down the operaticn of the pumping jack and reduction gearing in order that the sludge, etc. might be removed manually.

It is an object of my invention to overcome these disadvantages by providing a method and apparatus for filtering used gear oil and returning it to the gear case and simultaneously removing the sludge from the gear case. The cost of new oil for replacement at regular intervals and the labor cost of gear box Washes are thus eliminated. Furthermore, the down time is minimized because the method can be performed while the reduction gearing and pumping equipment remain in operation. Reduction gears of the type employed in oil field pumping installations are very large and consequently represent a considerable investment. In order to prevent damage to the gear teeth it is essential that the lubricating oil remain clean and uncontaminated by sludge or abrasive material. My invention provides a means of keeping the oil clean and the gear case free of sludge without the disadvantages of high labor costs for gear case cleaning and high cost of new oil replacements.

Briefly stated, my invention contemplates the provision of a pump driven by an internal combustion engine. is connected to draw oil from the lower part of the gear case and the delivery from the pump is passed in heat exchange relation with the exhaust gases from the engine. The heated oil is then passed through a filter to remove sludge, emulsions, cuttings, abrasives, etc. and is then returned through a jet nozzle into the gear case. An operator manually manipulates the jet to wash down the internal walls of the gear case and to clean the side faces of the gears and also to The suction line of the pump n; in

dislodge pockets of sludge or sediment within the gear case. The method and apparatus of my invention will be more fully understood in connection with the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the apparatus employed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of the apparatus employed in connection with my invention.

Figure 2 is a flow diagram.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a reduction gear unit showing the suction and discharge line connections for cleaning the lubricating oil and interior of the gear case.

Figure 4 is a perspective view partly broken away showing a preferred form of jet nozzle.

Referring to the drawings, a pump it of any suitable or desirable type is direct connected and driven from an internal combustion engine H. The pump is provided with the usual inlet connection l2 and outlet connection 53. The outlet i3 is connected by suitable piping Hi to the oil inlet l5 of the heat exchanger it. The exhaust gases from the internal combustion engine l I enter the heat exchanger at ll and are passed in heat exchange relation with the oil. The exhaust gases leave the opposite end of the heat exchanger it at E8, as diagrammatically shown in Fig. 2. The heated oil emerges at the outlet fitting l 9. The particular construction of the heat exchanger It forms no part of my present invention, and it is sufficient to say that I have found that a design in which the oil passes through tubes and the exhaust gases circulate around the tubes has been found to be satisfactory.

Suitable piping 29 connects the oil outlet as to the T-iltting 26. Additional piping 22 conmeets the T-fitting with the inlet 23 of th filter 2%. The oil passes downwardly through the filter E l and emerges through the filter outlet pipe 25. A bypass 26 connects the T-fitting 2! with the outlet pip 25 and a shut-off valve 2? located in this bypass. When the shut-off valve 2? is closed the oil is required to flow through the filter Z L- When the valve 2? is open the valve is in parallel with the filter 72 i and because of its lower resistance practically all of the oil passes through the bypass 26. The piping 25 is connected through the shut-oil valve 28 to the discharge hose 2s. The .end of this hose terminates in a jet nozzle 3t having a restricted outa relatively high elevation and is connected at 3 on end through valve 33 to the oil suction line 3 3 and at the other end through valve 35 with the pipe 25a. If desired the discharge hose 28 and the suction hose 36 may be wrapped around the auxiliary storage tank 32 when not in use. Th entire device is preferably mounted on a mobile unit such as, for example, the trailer 3i having ground wheels 38.

In operation the mobile unit is moved to a position closely adjacent the gear case 38 to be cleaned and th hoses 29 and 35 are unwrapped from their carrying position on the auxiliary storage tank 32. The suction hose 3B is connected to a drain opening All conventionally provided in gear cases. The opening to is ordinarily closed by a threaded plug (not shown). A removable plate (not shown) ordinarily covers an inspection opening 4| provided in the cover 42 of the gear case 39. An operator manually manipulates the nozzle 36 so that oil discharged through th nozzle as a jet may serve to clean sludge, abrasive material, etc. from the internal walls of the gear case and from the side faces of the gears t3 and M.

The valves 2'! and 35 are opened and the valves 28 and 53 are closed. The engine Ii is started and the pump it) then draws oil through the suction hose 35, line 34 and inlet l2 to the pump it. This oil is then pumped through the outlet it through the heat exchanger 16 and through the bypass 25 into the line 25. A portion of the oil contents of the gear case 39, for example, onehalf of the total volume of oil, is then pumped into th auxiliary storage tank 32 by way of the conduit 25a and valve 35. This portion oi the lubricating oil is temporarily stored in the auxil iary tank 32 while the cleaning process is carried out with the remaining quantity of oil.

The valve 35 is then closed and the valve 2% opened so that oil may be drawn in through the suction hose 3S and expelled through the dis charge hose 29. The circulation continues while the oil is being heated in the heat exchanger l5. When the temperature of the oil reaches 175 F. approximately, the bypass valve 2'! is closed so that the heated oil passes through the filter Continued circulation of the oil removes the sludge, abrasive particles, emulsion, etc. so that the oil passing through the nozzle 3! into the gear box interior is filtered and free of foreign material. The jet of hot oil emerging from the nozzle 38 is very efiective in cleaning of the interior of the gear case 39 and the jet is directed by an operator to remove all of the foreign material from the gear case. The valve 33 is then opened so that the contents of the auxiliary storage tank 32 drain gradually and are mingled with the stream of oil previously heated and circulated. As the oil from the auxiliary storage tank 32 passes through the filter 24 it is cleaned and the foreign material removed from it. The circulation through the filter 25 and auxiliary storage tank 32 is continued until substantially all of the foreign material is removed. The opening til is closed by the usual plug (not shown) and the cleaned, filtered oil is returned into the gear case 39 through the discharge hose 28.

Suitable connections may be provided in the conventional manner for backwashing and cleaning the filter 24, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. 7

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the details herein set forth, but my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of cleaning the interior of a lubricant chamber and cleaning the lubricant therein, comprising the steps of: withdrawing a first portion of the lubricant from the chamber through a pump, and passing said first portion of lubricant into a tank for temporary storage, gradually withdrawing and passing the remaining portion through the pump to pressurize the lubricant, passing the pressurized lubricant through a filter, returning the filtered lubricant to the chamber through a discharge nozzle in the form of a jet to impinge upon interior surfaces 01 the lubricant chamber to clean them, and subsequently passing the said first portion of the lubricant from the storage tank through the filter and returning it to the chamber.

2. The method of cleaning the interior of a lubricant chamber and cleaning the lubricant therein, comprising the steps of withdrawing and temporarily storing a first portion of the lubricant from the chamber, passing the remaining portion of the lubricant through a pump to pressurize the lubricant, passing the pressurized lubricant through a heater to heat the lubricant, passing the heated lubricant through a filter, and returning the filtered lubricant to the chamher through a discharge nozzle in the form of a jet to impinge upon interior surfaces of the lubricant chamber to clean them, and subsequently passing the said first portion of the lubricant through the filter and returning it to the chamber.

23. The method of cleaning the interior of a gear case and filtering the lubricating oil therein, comprising the steps of withdrawing and temporarily storing a first portion of the oil from the case, circulating the remaining portion of the oil from the case through a heater and back to the case in the form of a jet to impinge on the interior surfaces of the gear case, then interposing a filter in the stream of hot circulating oil, and then gradually returning the said first portion of the oil to said gear case with the stream of hot circulating oil by adding it to the stream at a location upstream from the filter.

l. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the apparatus associated with the lubricant chamber is maintained in operation while the lubricant is being removed from the chamber, cleaned and returned to the chamber.

5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the first portion of the lubricant withdrawn from the lubricant chamber is at least one-half the total volume of lubricant in the chamber.

6. The method defined in claim 2 including driving of the pump from an internal combustion engine, and heating the lubricant in the heater by the exhaust gases from the engine.

References Cited in the file or" this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS France May 6, 1930 

